Plea deal revoked for Thomas Costa in death of jogger Karen Benjamin

Plea deal revoked for Thomas Costa in death of jogger Karen Benjamin


A judge revoked a plea deal today for a man who pleaded guilty to fatally striking a Mount Sinai mother with his car over the summer and driving off.

Thomas Costa expected to be sentenced to 2-6 years behind bars for admitting he fled the scene after running down Karen Benjamin. Benjamin was out jogging back in June when she was struck.

However, when the judge took the bench today, he said he was "extremely upset." He said Costa has "consistently and repeatedly" lied to probation officers, claiming that he did not know he had hit a human being despite his guilty plea.

Costa's attorney said the curve ball in court came as a "total shock."

The victim's family believes that Costa deserves the maximum sentence of seven years, so they say they're glad the case could now go to trial.